Amiens, France

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Trudy

Day 13. Friday, September 12, 2025

It is an hour drive to Amiens from Arras where we will visit Jules Verne’s house, the largest cathedral in France, and take a unique boat ride.

We luck out and find a parking space right beside the Jules Verne museum. Parking downtown in French cities is very difficult, there are more cars than spaces available. We have our picnic lunch in a little park right by the museum but these chestnuts were falling and landing with a crash around us…the spikes on the green fruit are very sharp and we decide to move to a safer bench.

Jules Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. Jules Verne is the second most translated author in the world, ranking below Agatha Christie and above William Shakespeare. His novel Around the World in 80 Days is printed in 18 languages.

The winter garden was the original entrance to the Jules Verne house. Tropical garden plants were moved indoors here to spend the winter.

The dining room and salon on the main floor.

One of the second floor rooms was a reconstruction of his first boat. Jules Verne loved to sail and his first boat was a 9 metre long. His second boat was 20 meters in length and the third was 30 meters!

This second floor room was a library. The second photos shows the original library with over 12,000 books. When he read these books Jules Verne wrote notes on index cards to use as reference information for his novels.

From 1882 to 1900 Jules Verne wrote every day from 5:00 am until 11:00 am in this little room.

Climbing the tower which was added to the house by Jules Verne. It allows access to all three floors of the house.

The third floor attic has a collection of original movie posters…

…and other memorabilia. I look like I am one of the exhibits!

Bob and a fictional flying machine from one of Verne’s novels. A view from the front of the house showing the winter garden.

it is a short walk to the Amiens cathedral. Notre-Dame d’Amiens is the largest medieval cathedral in the world. It was built in 1269 and is twice the size of Notre Dame in Paris.

The sculpted decorations in the portals have survived in a remarkable state of preservation…

…and the 16th century wood carvings of the choir stalls are unique in the world.

Sandbags were used to protect the exterior and interior of the church during WWI. The stained glass windows were removed and stored elsewhere. Unfortunately there was a fire and some of the windows were destroyed. A bomb did fall directly on the church but it did not detonate. Whether by faulty fuse, divine intervention or sheer luck, the cathedral stood unharmed. Info and photo~ church heritage.eu

This is a massive cathedral…

…with stunning stained glass windows.

Do you see the people? They give a sense of scale.

Looking towards the richly decorated altar…

and in the opposite direction, the organ that was built in 1549…

which has just been cleaned and restored.

Love this statue of Joan of Arc.

There is also a labyrinth from 1288.When we leave the cathedral, I look up and there are the gargoyles! I am very fond of gargoyles.
We have time to walk back to the car for tea and cookies and a little down time before we get ready for our boat ride at the Hortillonages.

Shaped by generations of market gardeners known as ‘hortillons’, this site is the only one of its kind in France. The Hortillonnages are made up of a multitude of small cultivated islets surrounded by water, accessible only by boat on a network of waterways

We spend a relaxing 45 minutes travelling these waterways. We see market gardens, private gardens, cottages and some islands that look very wild and unkept.

The Hortillonnages have been here since ancient times. They are located on the naturally marshy terrain of the old bed of the River Somme. The site’s name has its origins in the Latin ‘hortus’ meaning garden. Nowadays, the ownership of this 300-hectare site is shared by over 1000 individuals who use it for market gardening or leisure activities such as gardening, fishing, and observing nature.

Walking back to our car we pass yet another war memorial, a reminder of the war and those who fought and died for France.

Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Jardin de Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes.

Posted on September 6, 2025 by Trudy

Day 7 Saturday, September 6, 2025

Today I catch the metro about 12:30 to go drawing at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and Bob stays home a bit longer before going exploring on his own. He caught the metro to the Gare du Nord and then walked all the way south to the Jardin de Luxembourg to sit and read for a bit.

Sadly the studios of the Académie are no longer in the same historic building. These three photos are from previous trips and visits to draw in the 121 year old studios where so many artists have been before me.

On the way to the new location which is only a couple of blocks from the old studios I see these flowers that had been placed on a window ledge….I wonder what iis the story behind these roses?

Here is the new studio. It seems rather sterile and bare, but at least the life drawing sessions are still in operation. I believe that they are trying to find a better studio but the lady who talked about all this spoke very quickly and I only caught part of what she was saying. My French has improved, but not enough to understand the whole conversation. You can see my spot in the foreground of the photo, with my sketchbook on the stool and my red bag on the floor.

The model was tall and my drawings weren’t great today, but it is all a learning experience. Four 5 minute poses.

a 10 and a 15 minute pose

A 30n and a 35 minute pose.

After drawing I walked to the Jardin de Luxembourg to meet Bob. Thank heavens for cell phones and texting or I would never have found him. The gardens were very busy today.The Medici Fountain is a monumental fountain in the Jardin de Luxembourg that was built in 1630.

We walk toward the Jardin de Plantes, a botanical garden about 45 minutes away. We pass the Pantheon, which is a mausoleum containing the graves of many famous people including Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Voltaire, Louis Braille, and Alexandre Dumas. It is closed and I don’t think we will have time to visit this trip…guess we need to return to Paris at least one more time! I do not miss eating out in Paris. Sitting check by jowl beside smokers is not my idea of fun. I much prefer the meals we prepare at home in our bnb’s.

As we enter the Jardin des Plantes we see this huge Plantane tree which was planted in 1785 and is now classified as an ‘Arbre Historique et Remarquables’. It amazes me that someone knows exactly when this tree was planted… 240 years ago!

These little orchids are growing at the base of the tree. We have the same ones growing back home in Alberta. Sue loved this interesting flower and wanted a closer look.

Another huge old tree. Can you tell I love trees.

We couldn’t find Sue but then Bob spotted her checking out this rather strange creature.

The Botanical garden was a bit of a disappointment, we had just started to explore some of the more interesting areas when we were told to leave as the park was closing, a half hour before it actually closed.

Everyday on our walk to the metro near our bnb we pass these beautiful Passion flowers.

We got home about 8:30, another full day.

Notre Dame

Posted on September 4, 2025 by Trudy

Day 5, Thursday, September 4, 2025

The morning didn’t get off to a good start. We tried to purchase an online e-SIM from Orange. I think it took almost two hours! Seems we need to confirm the purchase on our credit cards by entering the code they send to our phone number. Only problem is the phone number they have on file is our home land line! It took forever but we finally got it done, so now we have two different cell phone providers…hopefully at least one of them will be working when we need them. It poured rain this morning so at least we were still home when that happened. After the rain we set off to visit Notre Dame.

The restored Notre Dame is now open for visitors. I last visited the inside of Notre Dame in 2014 when I spent a month in Paris. It looks amazing, it is pretty much impossible to tell what is original and what has been replaced because of the fire. Our first view of the interior is stunning.

The Rose window on the south side of the Church.

This sculpted wall from the 14th century depicts scenes from the life of Christ. It forms a separation between the choir and the ambulatory. This is just one small section of the long carved wall depicting the story of the life of Christ.

The side chapels have been cleaned, repaired and repainted. They are absolutely stunning.

I love the sun shining through the stained glass windows.

Another view of one of the two rose windows with dancing lights from the stained glass.

Looking up towards the second floor galleries I see more coloured light. The chandeliers provide a warm glow as well.

We are impressed with the restoration. Notre Dame is back! It took 700 million euros and one thousand artisans to complete the restoration. We stay for Vespers and listen to the organ music and a young woman with the loveliest voice singing the Psalms. This is how cathedrals should be visited, when they are full of music and prayer.

Outside we take our first selfie of this trip. Unfortunately the rooftop is not yet open. I loved the time I spent up there in 2014, visiting the gargoyles and enjoying the wonderful views of Paris. There are 387 steps to climb in the south tower to visit the rooftop. It is supposed to open September 20th. We are planning make time to do this on our return to Paris on the way home.We walk towards the Louvre and find a place for tea and a snack. We stroll along the Seine and find a place to sit, but it was very busy, lots of cyclists, joggers and people going by so we walk to the Tuileries Garden just west of the Louvre. The name comes from the tile kilns which occupied the site before the palace.

On the way we walk through the Flower market, just before they close.

This lady was making the most fantastic bubbles, they were huge and there were so many of them blowing in the wind. I would love to know the recipe for her bubble mixture.

This bride and groom were having their wedding photos taken but I thought they weren’t very comfortable following the photographers cues. There were lots of retakes.

The sun is setting on the Olympic Cauldron…very impressive.

Time to head home and we walk a few blocks to our metro line, which Bob can’t find….I see it right away…it is kind of hard to miss!

A Frustrating Day

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Trudy

Day 4, Wednesday, September 3, 2025

We are still jet lagged, me more so than Bob. After a quiet morning we decide to find an Orange store to buy a SIM card for Bob’s phone. Not so easy, We walked about twenty minutes to the first store, only to discover that it was an Orange office building, no sales! Next we take the metro to another Orange store in a big shopping centre, only to discover that they do not sell SIM cards (go figure!) and they send us to a Tabac store in the mall. They only have one kind of SIM, and it isn’t one that will work for us…so we Google the location of another Orange store closer to the centre of Paris, take the metro again and surprise! They don’t sell SIMS either! Turns out we have to download an E-SIM. We sat down in the store to do that, thinking that if we have problems we could at least get some help, only to find that our Koodo roaming plan isn’t working again! AARGH! Enough…we quit and decided to go find a patisserie and buy some pastries .

We pass a world Heritage site, the Tour Saint-Jacques, a tenth century tower that is all that remains of the Saint-Jacques de la Boucherie Church. It always amazes me to see that something so ancient has managed to survive in the middle of a city.

We pass this interesting fellow dancing in the street, and he smiles after Continue reading →

We Are In Paris

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Trudy

Day 2, Monday, September 1, 2025

Our flight had several turbulent episodes but nothing too scary. We were flying on the Dreamliner…a huge plane. I can’t sleep on a plane so I was very grateful to be able to watch movies all night long.
We walk down steps onto the runway, board a bus and drive to our terminal. During this bus trip I lost my balance and started to slowly fall backwards! Bob and another gentleman caught me before I hit the floor so all was well and everyone had a good laugh.

We pass through customs in Paris and our suitcases are waiting for us on the carousel. It is always a relief to see they have arrived. We added a roaming package on our home cell and it started working as soon as we landed. So much easier than trying to find somewhere to buy a SIM card at the airport, especially as the only SIM card store we saw was closed.

We caught the RER train into Paris, and then an Uber for the last part of the trip to our Airbnb. I chatted in French with the driver and we had a nice conversation.

Our cell worked really well until we got outside our Airbnb and then it didn’t work at all and we couldn’t message our hosts to let them know we were here! We stood outside for about five minutes after knocking repeatedly on the door. Then a little four year-old boy looked at us from the upstairs window and smiled, and I asked in French if his mommy was home and he shook his head no, then I asked if his daddy was home and he shook his head yes, so I asked him to get his daddy and tell him that we were here.

That worked and we were able to get inside. We had a nap, went for a few groceries, made a simple supper and then bed.

We Are Home!

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Trudy

Day 91 Monday, November 27, 2023

We are awake at 6:30 to begin our journey home. An uber ride takes us to the Denfert- Rochereau train station where we catch a train to the Charles de Gaulle Airport. The morning commute is a busy time…our first Uber ride cancelled after we waited almost ten minutes, so we ordered a second uber. Luckily we didn’t have to wait too long for it to arrive.

I was able to carry on a conversation with our driver who is from Tunisia. I have been learning and practicing French online with Duolingo and it has certainly helped with my vocabulary and grammar. Being able to converse in French, even imperfect French has been really useful on this trip, and I have really enjoyed it.

There has been a bigger police presence the last week or so, in the metro and on the streets. Makes me wonder what they know that we don’t. Police officers in Paris come in all sizes.

It is an interesting morning. In addition to the heightened security, we see three people in need of medical attention this morning, while waiting for our train to the airport. A young man who collapsed on the ground, a woman sitting surrounded by people trying to help her and an older man who was being helped to a seat after he fell. I wonder if there is something in the air this morning?

We arrive at the airport after a very crowded train ride. A young lady standing near us, almost faints, and we offer her what help we can. At the airport there are groups of soldiers patrolling, armed with machine guns! Maybe it is a good thing that we are going home?

This sign speaks to me…I’ll never forget Paris either.

It is a wet rainy day.

I do enyy Bob his ability to fall asleep almost anywhere. After a bit of a wait at the airport…

We are on the plane and starting the journey home.

Good bye France. Good bye Paris. À bientôt.

I love looking out the window on a plane…

it is so strange seeing the world from this viewpoint. We land in Edmonton just as the sun is setting. It is good to be home, but I can’t wait to return to Paris…one day soon I hope.

Thank you so much for following along on our trip to France and a special thank you to everyone who took the time to write a comment or two. I can’t believe it took me over a year to finally finish these posts, but better late than never!
Till next time…

Boat Ride on the Seine and the Orangerie

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Trudy

First of all, if you are a subscriber and you are having trouble seeing the photos in yesterday’s post you should be able to click on the “View on Blog” option on the top right side of your email notification, or just type trudymason.com in your browser and you can see it properly there. No idea why the photos aren’t showing up! Sorry.

Day 89, Saturday, November 25, 2023

I am out of the apartment early to go shopping for those conté crayons I promised to get for my friend. Then I need to meet Bob near the Eiffel Tower for Bob’s birthday boat ride.

We arrived back in Paris on the 16th but other than going to my life drawing sessions I haven’t been out and about very much. Having Covid hit me much harder than Bob, and I have been pretty low energy ever since, so it is nice to wander the streets of Paris at least one more time before we head home. I check out a couple more art stores, but only find a stick or two of conté at each one! I head towards the main Sennelier store, hoping I will find what I need there. On the way I pass several little galleries and peak in the windows. I liked these large drawings by Diana Quinby at Galerie Arnaud Lefebvre. I wonder if I will ever try doing such large drawings? Luckily the Sennelier store has all the conté crayons I need! Yay!

The Louvre on the other side of the river. We didn’t even go inside this trip…just too many other things to do and see.

This sculpture is titled The Bird of Peace by Mira Morić. We could certainly use a lot more peace in our world!

The front of the Musée D’Orsay with posters of the two shows we visited. I do love this museum…it is big but almost doable in one day, unlike the Louvre, which is sometimes overwhelming. The Louvre definitely needs several days to even begin to see most of the exhibits.

Even though it is cool today there are lots of people out walking and exercising along the Seine River. There are several group classes taking place as well as people working out individually.

I walk by the entrance to the beautiful Pont Alexandre III, on my way to meet Bob. I have never walked this route before so I enjoy seeing a bit more of Paris.

I am almost at the boat docks for Bob’s birthday lunch cruise. It is near the Eiffel Tower. I arrive before Bob and I am worried that we might be late, as people are already boarding, but all is well.

A selfie as we enjoy a glass of wine before our meal.

and then a photographer comes by and takes this picture for us. Because this trip is for our 50th wedding anniversary and today is Bob’s birthday we had almost a dozen photos taken of us, while everyone else only had two or three!

Our menu.

Bob is enjoying his birthday treat!

Bob’s Fondant Beef, onion cream, potatoes with mushrooms and rich jus, and my Glazed salmon steak with red cabbage, black rice and lobster coulis. Both meals were delicious!

They are still working on restoring Notre dame and the building is covered in scaffolding.

We headed east on the Seine River and see some of the more modern part of Paris before we turn around and head back towards the Eiffel Tower.

Bob’s dessert comes with a sparkler and the singing of ‘Happy Birthday’ and lots of clapping. He definitely enjoys all the attention!

Bob has the Chocolate and vanilla pot with praline crisp and I love my Coconut cream, raspberry and pomegranate coulis with soft almond biscuit. All our food was delicious.

We purchased this photo as a keepsake. I would have liked to buy a few more photos but they were €20 (about $30) each!We pass the dock near the Eiffel Tower…

and the Statue of Liberty! Bob was surprised to see this statue but I remembered her from my last trip.

We pass under Le Pont de Bir-Hakeim with its beautiful decorations before docking. We both had such a great time and enjoyed seeing Paris from the Seine River.

This map shows our route, the lunch cruise follows the black line on the map. You might have to zoom in a bit, I couldn’t manage to make this image any larger.

Screenshot

After our wonderful luncheon on the Seine we do a bit of exploring. As we walk along the north side of the Seine we see several monuments. This one is dedicated to the Russian soldiers and officers killed on French soil between 1916 and 1918.

This monument was erected by the school children of the United States. This link https://www.unjourdeplusaparis.com/en/paris-insolite/detail-insolite-statue-la-fayette shares an interesting, often overlooked detail about this monument, one we did not notice until I was doing a bit of research while writing this post.

As we make our way back towards the Louvre, we stop for a photo of Le Pont Alexandre III. It really is a magnificent bridge!Jeff Koons gifted his Bouquet Of Tulips to Paris in 2019. I did a bit or research trying to find out a bit more about this sculpture and came across this interesting article. https://www.museemusings.com/blog/jeff-koons-goes-to-paris

Parisien’s love their ‘baskets’ or running shoes. Seems like everyone wears them now.

Next, we line up to enter the Orangerie to see Monet’s “Water Lilies”. It is a good thing we have purchased our tickets in advance, because once again, the line up for those who do not have tickets is very long. Our line was long enough…can you see Bob in his blue coat?

I was pleasantly surprised to see that it is now permissible to take photos inside the Orangerie. When I visited in 2014 this was strictly prohibited.

The paintings are enormous, and there are eight of them displayed in two oval rooms designed expressly for this purpose. Bob is not as enamoured with these paintings as I am.

I was thrilled that there was a Modigliani show downstairs! Amadeo Modigliani is one of my favourite painters and there were many paintings that I knew and many that were new to me.

I wasn’t feeling well, so we left the Orangerie and walked a bit outside and the fresh air helped. This is the fountain that Bob took a photo of several days ago…The Fountain of Rivers. It is extremely ornate.

We decided to walk and see some of the Christmas lights on the Avenue des Champs Élysées before going back to our apartment.

Nearby we see a small stand selling crêpes. I simply have to have at least one crêpe, before I leave Paris… they are delicious.

It is a bit chilly but the yummy crêpe warms my hands and tummy…now we can go home.

My Last Full Day In Paris

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Trudy

I decide to go back to the Louvre today to do some drawing but on arriving I discover that the first Sunday of the month the museum is open to everyone, so it is absolutely packed, wall to wall people! Certainly not conducive to study and drawing so I head over to the Eugene Délacroix museum on the Left Bank instead.

On the way I stop in at Saint-Germain-Des-Prés, the oldest church in Paris. There are marble columns inside that date from 512 AD. The church has been repaired and enlarged over the centuries and is an example of Early Gothic and Romanesque styles. The church as I saw it today was mostly built in 1163 but it is once again in need of repairs and restorations.

This is the view from the north west corner and the sculpture of a head in the bottom right of the picture is by Picasso.

The view from the front door. This church was beautifully painted with many stained glass windows high above the church floor.

The pillars and columns are covered in painted designs…

and I also loved the pillar’s beautiful bases.
I was surprised to see that one of the stained glass windows had a small part that opened. It was very high up, so I have no idea how they get it opened and closed.

A bust and chandelier were nicely silhouetted against this window.

The colours are incredible. Stained glass windows need light to show off their beauty.

This picture is a bit dark, these cathedrals are always quite dark inside, but it does show the windows that encircle the church. Just around the corner from the church and down a little side street is the museum I am looking for.

Here is the entrance to the Musée National Eugène Dèlacroix’ which contains his home and studio. One of the fascinating things about Paris is the way a door will open onto a courtyard or garden and offer a glimpse into a secret place. You just have no idea what might be behind one of those big old doors.

This is a palette that Delacroix is thought to have given to Henri Fantin-Latour who, like Délacroix prepared his painting palette with great care.

Dèlacroix’s studio had many of his paintings and lithograph prints and in the house there were many lithograph prints with their original stone printing plates. He had the studio built to his specifications, with huge north windows and skylights.

Here is a view of the studio from its private garden. The garden has been recently restored, under the supervision of the gardeners of the Tuileries and due to the generosity of a donor named Mr. Kinoshita. There were lists of the plants purchased and the work carried out in Délacoix’s archives so it has been faithfully restored, and is a beautiful calm oasis in a busy city. His home is in the building on the right of the photo, it was quite large and well appointed.A view of the garden looking from the studio. I decide it is time to think about heading home and walk from here towards the Louvre, as I want to stop at their bookstore and a couple other shops nearby.

There are some sights that are very definitely Parisian. Do you notice all the parked cars?

I have no idea how the drivers here manage to park in such tiny spots, or even how they manage to get out of them, but they do! It is quite something to watch.

I pass some very interesting looking shops, but as it is Sunday they are all closed so I take some photos through the windows. Too bad, or maybe good, as I am sure I would have found some fascinating item that I would have wanted to bring home.

All sorts of curious and interesting things.

This window was intriguing, especially in light of all the figure drawing I have been doing.

I snap a couple last photos and head home to get packed and ready for my flight home tomorrow.

Me and the Mona Lisa!

Here are my metro drawings from the last couple of days.

The Louvre, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Trudy

I decide to go visit the Louvre again on Saturday. This is a view of the enclosed courtyard at the east end of the building. It is hard to comprehend just how big this museum is, it covers almost 15 acres.

The Louvre was originally a fortress built in 1190, but it was rebuilt in the 16th century to be a royal palace which continued to be expanded over the years. The Louvre became an art museum in 1793, when Louis XIV moved to Versailles. It is now the largest museum in the world.

The Louvre contains 35,000 works of art on display, divided into eight departments: the Near Eastern Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculptures, Decorative Arts, Paintings and Prints and Drawings.

It is impossible to see all of this museum in one day. Even walking through all its galleries in one day would be a challenge, never mind actually stopping to look at the art. Many of the paintings are very large, as is The Pentecote, 1732 by Jean Restoutst. There weren’t many people in this room so I was able to set up my little gorilla pod and take my own picture.

It is easy to be mesmerized by the art on display but I also found it interesting to remember to look up and to look past the art work to see the palace itself. Here are some photos that remind us that the Louvre was first and foremost a royal palace, and what a palace!.

The Apollo gallery. I love the red walls and remembered this room from our last visit eight years ago.

This is the Grand Gallery! and the picture below is about halfway down this long room. If you double click the photo to enlarge it and look closely you can just make out the statue above the heads of the people in the picture above, and then the Gallery continues way past the statue!

In a side room off off the Grand Gallery is the painting most people come to the Louvre to see. La Joconde, more commonly known as the Mona Lisa.

It is behind bullet proof glass now, and is pretty much always surrounded by hordes of people, most of whom are very surprised, and sometimes disappointed, at the rather small size of this very famous painting.

This is Eugene Delacroix’s The Death of Sardanapalus, just one of many familiar paintings. After seeing these paintings in my books for so many years it is wonderful to be able to stand before the actual works. I spend about four hours here and then head off to visit a couple other Paris landmarks.

First, The Galeries Lafayette, this incredible dome is located in the main store, which has nine floors and covers an entire city block. There are two other stores, connected by walkways, each of which also covers a city block! This place is enormous, and very crowded with shoppers.

A view looking down onto the perfume, makeup and fashion accessories floor.

The shoe department covers one entire floor. The floors are divided into ‘mini stores’ where each designer has their own displays and sales people. There are so many people shopping that the escalators are absolutely jammed with people all the time. I find It totally overwhelming, there is no way I would be able to shop here, and after taking a few pictures I leave.

I head down the block to Printemps, thinking that it might be a bit smaller and easier to look around.

… but it is just as big and almost as busy. Here is the floor map of Printemps, again three stores connected by walkways, each store a city block long and wide.

I am definitely not a shopper! I spent less than an hour in these stores and that was more than enough for me.

I find a little sidewalk cafe and stop for a much needed meal and a pot of tea. This mural is on the building across the street. The guy in the corner was my very charming French waiter.

On the way to the Metro I stop in to visit a little church, Saint-Louis D’Antin but there is a service taking place so I don’t want to walk around and just snap a photo from the entrance. Even the small churches are very beautiful.

Here are just a few of the goodies I saw on display today. They look scrumptious, but not for me… I did have one raspberry tart today at the Louvre. It was the only time I ate something that I shouldn’t have on this trip. It is really almost impossible to find desserts that do not have gluten, egg or dairy. Strangely, I didn’t feel deprived, or really want to eat bread, cheese or pastries. I know if I eat these things I don’t feel well and I think that knowledge takes away the temptation, but I did enjoy looking at the displays.

Saint-Séverin and Shakespeare And Company

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Trudy

I had a good flight home, and now, the first of the promised posts of my last couple days in Paris.

I had a very nice meal at a little cafe on the left bank overlooking the Quai Montebello which is part of the road which runs along the Seine, and I had a great view of Notre Dame just across the river. After a leisurely second pot of tea I walked along the Seine down to Pont Neuf to take a few more pictures of Notre Dame in the late afternoon sun. I am still marvelling at the fact that I was standing on the top of the tower closest to the river.

The road along both sides of the Seine is the home of the used book sellers. Their iconic green boxes can be seen in many paintings of Paris, especially those of the Impressionist period. There are 900 boxes along the Seine, three kilometres of used and antique books, old magazines, manuscripts, postcards, as well as stamps, souvenirs, magnets, posters, painting reproductions and even locks for lovers to put on the Pont Neuf.

I don’t think they should be allowed to sell locks, as the poor bridges in this area are becoming overburdened with all the locks tourists have attached to them. Lovers write their names on a lock, attach it onto the bridge and throw the key into the Seine River. These locks are removed periodically in an attempt to prevent damage to the bridges but I saw several sections that had boards placed over areas of railing which had collapsed under the weight of thousands of locks. I don’t suppose that all the keys thrown into the river can be good for it either.I wander along the streets looking for Shakespeare and Company, but have a hard time locating it. Along the way I so see lots of other interesting places though.

Another interesting art store, but it is closed so I have to be content looking through the windows.

An interesting mix of automobiles, motorcycles, scooters and bicycles. The guy looking back had just got honked at and one of the motorcyclists was yelling at him. I think maybe he cut someone off. He is riding a velib bicycle, one of 20,000 bicycles you can use in Paris, after buying a daily or weekly pass, for 1.7 euros or 8 euros respectively. The first 30 minutes of each ride are free, so you can ride, exchange your bike for another and keep doing this as often as you want.

Another beautiful Paris building and one of the many Paris policeman directing traffic. They love to blow their whistles, and do so very often and repeatedly

This plaque is on a primary school wall. It is in memory of young students who were taken by the Nazis to the death camps. I found the dried flower tucked into the ring below the plaque very touching.

I find it interesting how the old churches are surrounded by other buildings and shops. This is Sainte-Séverin. It is very dark inside and it has beautiful ancient and modern stained windows.

There are a set of seven stained glass windows inspired by the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. These two are the Wedding (with yellow tones) and the Confirmation (with red tones) designed by an artist named Jean René Bazaine in 1970.

A view of some of the ancient windows.

More windows and the incredible ceiling arches, and then I looked up!

It is impossible to capture the grandeur of these cathedrals in a photo.

This pillar is the Twisted pillar, very unusual and quite famous. This church was built in the early 14th Century, and chapels along the outer aisle were added in1520. It is one of the oldest churches on the Left Bank, and is still used for services today.

A mass was just starting in one of the chapels along the outer aisles while I was visiting. Because it was so dark in the church it was a bit difficult to take pictures. This one is a bit blurry but gives an idea of the little side chapels that were completed in 1520.

For some reason the lights on the pillars are green, which gave the place a strange eerie sort of glow. The guy in the bottom right corner with a ladder was replacing burned out lights.

This church is badly in need of restoration, it is very old and it shows its age.

I am still looking for Shakespeare and Company, and pass by a little park and which contains the oldest tree in Paris. The park it is in is closed but I do get to see this 413 year old tree from the sidewalk. It has a cement support to help hold it up and was planted in 1601. I think it is quite amazing that we know when and by whom a tree this old was planted.

Success at last! I figure out why I had such a hard time fining this place: it is right along the main road! I thought it was a couple of blocks in so I was looking in the wrong place entirely. Bob and I visited here last time we were in Paris and thought it was a pretty fascinating place. It has an interesting history as it started out as a private collection of books. Much too long a story to get into here but do look it up if you are at all curious, it is a very curious and intriguing tale.

You are welcome to use this old typewriter or just sit and read in this room. It has a collection of books that are not for sale, only for reading.

There are several beds in this bookstore, including the upper bunk bed behind the curtain here. People are still allowed to spend the night in the bookstore. Really, do go read about all this!

The bookstore is a maze of rooms and hallways, on two levels.

Here is a view of the store. Sometimes if I wait a bit I am able to take photos without list of people, but no luck here. This is a very busy place. It is getting late so I head for home, walk back to the Cité Metro station which is on the other end of the same island as Notre Dame.

The cathedral is quite beautiful all lit up at night.

Cité is one of the art Nouveau stations designed by Hector Guimard.

This is a picture of some of the rail lines of the Dare du Nord taken form the Metro on the way home. Do you see me?

This is a long post, but I did promise lots of pictures!

trudymason.com

Travel, Art, Drawing, PaperArts

Tag Archives: Paris

Amiens, France

Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Jardin de Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes.

Notre Dame

A Frustrating Day

We Are In Paris

We Are Home!

Boat Ride on the Seine and the Orangerie

My Last Full Day In Paris

The Louvre, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps

Saint-Séverin and Shakespeare And Company

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